At a Glance

What book is currently on your nightstand?

[He laughs] No book on the nightstand but there’s a book in the queue—Colin Powell’s My American Journey.

What’s a charity or cause that you’re passionate about?

United Way.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?

I turn off the phone.

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?

We actually were trying to go to Spain and Portugal last fall and that got postponed, but we’re trying to do that again this fall.

Mike Colombie in the snow

At a Glance

What book is currently on your nightstand?

[He laughs] No book on the nightstand but there’s a book in the queue—Colin Powell’s My American Journey.

What’s a charity or cause that you’re passionate about?

United Way.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?

I turn off the phone.

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?

We actually were trying to go to Spain and Portugal last fall and that got postponed, but we’re trying to do that again this fall.

Images ©Kerry Tasker

Off the Cuff

Mike Colombie
F

orty years ago, Mike Colombie packed his bags and went North in search of adventure. And it didn’t take long to find it—he received his pilot’s license only three years after landing in Alaska.

Colombie started with CONAM as a document control clerk and moved his way on up pretty dang quick, spending time as a field engineer and dabbling in project management. Today, Colombie serves as the construction firm’s president with twenty-five years of experience between CONAM and its sister company Price Gregory.

He still enjoys getting out and experiencing everything Alaska has to offer. And with summer right around the corner, don’t be surprised if you pass him on the trails or spot him in the sky. There is, however, one place you won’t find him: “I will not, and I have never, walked under a ladder. “

Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time?
Mike Colombie: We like to go out and enjoy Alaska. My wife and I live up near Prospect trailhead and during the week we probably hike that every other day in the summer. On the weekends, we have a little airplane so we try to get out and explore the state.

AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Colombie: That would probably be coming to Alaska forty years ago with no money, no job, and no contacts.

AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Colombie: I like all the older spots, Club Paris. For a quick burger, the Arctic Roadrunner, Lucky Wishbone… we eat out almost every weekend at least once.

AB: Other than your current career, if you were a kid today, what would your dream job be?
Colombie: I wanted to be a commercial pilot. I talked about it a lot when I was a kid, and I knew it was in me to do it, but I just never did it. I did learn to fly when I got to Alaska but never professionally.

AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise?
Colombie: Like I said we do a lot of hiking. I do like biking though. I used to do quite a bit of it when I was younger, and I’d like to get back into it, but hiking is kinda the big one. We got a great trail system here in Anchorage and we get on it three or four days a week.

AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Colombie: The list is probably about ten or twenty people long. I grew up in the ‘70s, so that’s my favorite era of music. At the time I wasn’t really appreciative of the Beatles but I think that would probably be the band I would love to see—particularly John Lennon.

AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Colombie: My wife and I went to Europe for our 30th anniversary and we flew first class. You have your own little suite and I thought that was pretty much over the top… and I never wanted to get off that plane.

AB: What are you superstitious about?
Colombie: Generally, I’m not. But I will not, and I have never, walked under a ladder.

AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Colombie: Giving interviews [he laughs]. So the best would probably be that I think there’s always two sides to every story and I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, so I try not to jump to conclusions. My wife will tell you I’m a pretty good procrastinator when it comes to getting things done around the house. And I can’t disagree with her.

Mike Colombie Portrait